


That Feeling Is The Best Thing

by goddess_julie



Series: But I Know Yes I Know (We'll Be Alright) [10]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Artificial Insemination, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Genderswap, Kid!Fic, Kidfic, M/M, Pregnancy, Schmoop, girl!Niall, girl!Zayn, girl!direction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-31
Updated: 2014-12-31
Packaged: 2018-03-04 14:49:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3072095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goddess_julie/pseuds/goddess_julie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zayn and Harry are away for Gallery business.  Niall isn't due for at least a few more days when Zayn's trip is extended.   Bean is coming and it's a race to see who arrives first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	That Feeling Is The Best Thing

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to everyone who has read, left kudos and/or feedback for this series. And here we have baby Horan-Malik.

As much as Niall has enjoyed the entire experience of being pregnant, she's ready for it to be over. At least this time. She's told Zayn that when they're ready and Zayn has a child, she would really like another go of it. They've both admitted that they want a house full of children, at least three or four and while they spoke of each carrying the children, Zayn had told Niall that she could commit to carrying one. She wasn't closed to the idea of giving birth to more than one, but she would have the one and then reserve judgement on future pregnancies.

Niall was more than okay with that. To have had Zayn agree to getting pregnant the once with their child was more than she could have dreamed. And to say that Niall loved everything that went along with carrying their child would have been an understatement. She loved the changes her body went through, she loved its effect on Zayn and she loved waking and spending every moment knowing that there was a child inside of her, THEIR child that the love she and Zayn had for one another had taken and created a life with. Niall also had to agree that the pregnancy had strengthened the bond they had with their best friends. Any worries she'd had about Liam and Zayn had been washed away over the last eight months and she and Liam were closer than she could have ever imagined.

The ringing of the phone breaks into Niall's concentration as she tries to straighten out one of the photographs that Harry had framed for the baby's room. She huffs in annoyance and steps down from the stool she'd been standing on and turns to answer her phone which is sitting on the baby's changing station. She's startled by Louis who is leaning against the doorjamb, her phone in his hand and an evil smirk on his lips. Before she can say anything, he tuts at her and shakes his head while answering the call.

"Oh hello Zayn, how are you?"

Niall groans and wipes the frustration from her face. She takes a deep breath and stretches out her hand for Louis to give her the phone. When he shakes his head again, she growls.

"Niall? She's right here on the STEP STOOL hanging photographs. Of course I can get her for you. No, I know that she shouldn't be up on stools while pregnant. Yes I do know that she's about to give birth and even the smallest fall can hurt her and the baby..."

Niall's shoulders are getting more and more tense with every word out of Louis' mouth. She can hear Zayn yelling at him from her end of the phone and her concern is plucking at Niall's final nerve.

"Why yes, she is right here. Nice talking to you Zayner."

"You are a fucking cunt Louis Tomlinson," Niall hisses as he hands her the phone. She wants to smack the grin off of his face.

"You shouldn't be up on the stool," Louis counters. "You could have called me to fix it."

"Fuck off." She replies storming out of the room with the phone in her hand. Zayn is yelling before she even gets the phone to her ear.

"Did you call to yell at me?" Niall interrupts shortly. "Because if you did, you can fuck right off too."

"I didn't," Zayn sounds tired and furious. Niall is too emotional, too strung out to proceed with caution. Maybe a fight is just what she needs to expel her nervous energy. "But then when I find out you're up on stools hanging stuff." Zayn practically growls.

"It was one step," Niall argues back. "I'm fine."

"What would you have done if you fell?"

"Called for you to help. Oh right, you're in America. I'm here pregnant, about to have this fucking baby and you're clear across the world."

"You told me to go," Zayn screeches. They've had this argument a lot over the past few days. "You said, and I quote, if you don't go I will never forgive you."

"Well you were supposed to be back by now." Niall's voice cracks before she starts crying. She hears Zayn exhale and she too deflates. She collapses on the bed. "I'm not mad you went, of course you did. This is so fucking huge, for you and Haz. But...”

"I know, babe." Zayn chokes out. She's crying on the other end and Niall feels infinitely worse for being such a mess. For knowing that if Zayn could, she'd be back already and still using it against her for the sake of heightened hormones and emotional release. "I'm so sorry. So fucking sorry."

"No," Niall wails. "I just ... I'm so tired and so sick of being fat. I can barely move right now, can't even take a shower by myself."

"Please tell me Lou is helping you," Zayn hiccups.

Niall snort's a laugh. "Yeah, but he's making me wear my bathing suit. It doesn't really fit but, as he says, it covers everything that made him go gay."

"What about him?"

"He wears his too," Niall giggles. "Probably because..."

"She tried to grab my cock," Louis calls loudly as he enters Niall's bedroom."

"He wasn't even a bit hard, so I wanted to see if I could get him excited. Went back in like a little turtle, so scared." Niall and Zayn both start to giggle through their tears. Niall curls up into Louis' arms when he joins her on the bed.

After a few moments of their laughter, Niall hears Zayn's voice catch. "We've got tickets for Sunday morning. First thing, babe. I'm so sorry. Everything was supposed to be cut and dry."

"I know. I don't mean to be a cunt, just ... I really want you here. Now. I'm so scared that..."

"NO," Zayn practically yells. "Don't be scared. Don't worry. Haz and I will be home Sunday. You're due on Wednesday so it'll all be okay."

"Plus," Niall hears Harry's voice in the background. "She got you a shit ton of presents while we've been here. So there's that."

"Fuck you Haz," Zayn says. Niall can practically see the blush that is almost definitely covering her girlfriend's cheeks.

Niall speaks to Zayn for a few more minutes before she hands the phone off to Louis. Listening to the low hum of his voice through his chest, Niall closes her eyes and lets her mind wander.

It was an amazing opportunity for both Zayn and Harry. Zayn's gallery had been approached by a gallery in Los Angeles. They had heard about Zayn Malik, how she was young but had an impeccable taste for art and a talent in showcasing it. While this gallery was doing well, they wanted to expand. They wanted to merge with an overseas Gallery to begin widening their reach. It would be a mutually beneficial partnership and while the majority of the paperwork and meetings had been done online, both sides had agreed that a face to face meeting would be critical. Zayn wasn't able to send Perrie in her place, as this was her business, her name that held in the balance. 

What had initially gotten their attention was the media attention that Harry Styles was getting with his photography. Up until now Harry only worked through Zayn in distributing and selling his photographs. He did work for magazines, but for private and individual purchases of his work, Zayn had agreed to be his agent. This gallery wanted to display his art. They were willing to pay considerably for the North American rights to his work. With Zayn's gallery being tied to Harry's name, she would stand to make a lot of money. But more importantly, this would skyrocket Harry's photographs, his talent to a worldwide stage.

Both Harry and Zayn's dreams were tied in this business deal and Niall had insisted that Zayn not miss the opportunity. It was everything they'd all ever wanted and without the hormones and the pregnancy, Niall was so proud of Zayn and Harry that it was overwhelming. What they hadn't anticipated was the gallery having a few last minute demands that were indicated as non-negotiable. What the gallery hadn't anticipated was that despite Zayn being relatively young and a woman, she didn't intimidate easily. Harry had assured her that he trusted her judgement implicitly. If he didn't agree with something, he would tell her but they both had the same beliefs and values and he knew that she would do what was best for the two of them.

They were returning to London on Sunday, whether or not the contract would be signed, but Niall knew that this partnership would benefit the Los Angeles gallery as much as Zayn's, so they would be forced to agree on what would be best for all parties involved.

 

It's when Niall wakes up on Saturday that she has to will herself not to panic. She'd been feeling anxious the past few days but attributed it to Zayn being away and knowing that her due date is rapidly approaching. As the morning continues, she's feeling more and more tightness in her stomach. When she heads down to the kitchen, she sees Liam and Sophia sitting at her table with grins on their faces as they giggle over their breakfast.

"What are you both doing here?" She asks with a forced smile. She sees Sophia's smile dim and Liam's face is a mask of concern.

"Are you okay Nialler?"

With a shake of her head, Niall grabs a bottle of water from the fridge and joins them at the table. "Stomach hurts. Back hurts. Legs hurt. I think even my fucking hair hurts."

"Well, I'm here to take you for a pedicure and manicure. Get your mind off stuff for when Zayn comes tomorrow."

Niall tries to smile but instead grimaces through the pain. "I don't know babe, just want to sleep."

'Bit of exercise will be good," Liam insists. "You two go for girl stuff and Lou and I will meet you for lunch."

They don't give Niall a choice. Instead, send her upstairs to get dressed in comfortable clothes and to just let Sophia pamper her for a few hours. As much as she wants to complain, once she's sitting in the salon with her feet in the water and a woman massaging her legs, Niall is enjoying herself. Conversation is easy with her and Sophia and they're giggling and picking out the brightest colours that they can find for their nails.

It's nearly two by the time they meet the men for lunch. Niall had wanted to stop to buy Zayn a gorgeous ring that she'd seen as a congratulations present for all of the hard work that she's been doing lately. There is a matching bracelet that Niall knows Zayn will think is excessive, but doesn't care. It's tucked safely in her purse when they join the table where Louis and Liam are already sitting.

It's only a matter of time before Louis notices Niall's discomfort. "Babe, you okay?"

"Just my stomach," Niall says as she picks at her lunch. 

"What about it?" He asks casually.

"Sharp pain woke me up this morning. Like a zap to my stomach. Baby’s been kicking like a motherfucker and I just keep having these pains. Not contractions, I would definitely know if it was contractions. But just discomfort. Sharp pains. Probably something I ate last night."

Louis doesn't say anything, only nods his head. They continue on with their lunch as Niall struggles to find a comfortable position. The walk to the car is slow and leisurely, Liam and Sophia holding hands, walking ahead of Louis and Niall who have their arms linked. Just as they've reached the car, Niall feels another sharp pain and leans against the passenger side for support.

"Ni?" Louis asks gently. "What time did the sharp pain start?"

Niall offers a distracted shrug. She's cupping her belly in one hand while leaning on the car with the other. "Don't know," she breathes harshly. "Maybe four. Five this morning."

"Are the pains getting closer together?"

Again Niall shrugs. "How should I know, not like I'm timing them? Like I said, probably just need to have a good cleansing shit and have some soda water."

"Or," Sophia says as Niall doubles over and gasps, "We could go to the hospital."

Liam's eyes are wide with alarm and Louis gives a nod of agreement. "Exactly," he says. "Babe, I hate to tell you but you're in labour. Early stages, but this is labour. Did you not pay attention in Lamaze?"

"What the fuck?" Niall screeches. She looks down and sees the water trickling down her legs as she feels a wave of warmth gushing down her leg. She looks at Louis as though it's his fault. "Fuck, no. No I can't be in labour. Zee doesn't get back until tomorrow."

"Don't think that Bean cares," Louis says trying to be as calming as possible. "That baby is coming, whether or not you like it."

The tears are pooling at the corner of Niall's eyes and she shakes her head emphatically. "No. I can't do this without her."

"You might have to Niall," Sophia says. "We're here babe, you've got Liam, Lou and I. We're going to get you through this. Okay?"

"Okay," Niall cries. She looks at Liam and frowns apologetically. "I just ..."

"Really want Zee, we know babe." He gives Sophia the keys and tells Louis to ride up front. He's going to sit with Niall in the back. "Do we have time to head over to their house to get her things?"

Louis shrugs. "Probably. But we've got two cars here Payno. You two take her over to the hospital. Get started. With it being her first pregnancy, she'll probably be in labour for a while. I'll go get her stuff and meet you there. Gotta call Zee. Let her know. Call me if anything changes, but I'll see you in about an hour at the hospital."

They've been admitted by the time Louis meets them at the hospital. It's just after four London time, which means in Los Angeles it's just after eight in the morning. Harry and Zayn are just about to run out for coffee as they head over to the offices for a meeting. 

"Zee," Niall nearly starts to cry at the sound of Zayn's voice. "I'm so sorry."

Zayn's heart is in her throat. She tries to calm Niall down so she can find out what the blonde is sorry for. "What babe? What's happened?"

"The baby. It's coming. I can’t.... I'm in labour. My water broke about forty minutes ago."

"Fuck." Zayn growls. "But... Wednesday."

"I know," Niall whines. "I’m so sorry."

"Don't worry baby," Zayn coos. "You'll be fine. You have Leeyum and Tommo with you?"

"Yeah. We just finished lunch. Have been having contractions all morning. Didn't even know."

"I’m sorry I'm not there," Zayn apologizes. She should have been home. She should be there with Niall for this. For the birth of their first child. 

"Don't," Niall grunts. "Don't do that. It's fine. You're fine. Just come home as soon as you can. Don't worry about us." She hears Harry speaking to Zayn and struggles to make out the words. Finally, Zayn is back. "He got us on a late flight tonight. We'll be there by morning. Shit, morning our time here. We'll be there by tomorrow afternoon."

"S'ok babe. Just be here for the next." Niall hears Zayn laugh.

"I'm going to have to be, since I'm having it."

"I mean MY next," Niall says with a snort.

They talk for a few more minutes until Zayn tells her she wants to talk to Liam. Liam smiles at whatever Zayn is saying and finally hangs up. They settle in for what they find is a very long night. It isn't until almost one in the morning that Niall's labour progresses considerably. Sophia has fallen asleep in one of the chairs in Niall's room while Louis is curled up at the end of Niall's bed. Only Liam and Niall are still awake, the two talking softly to distract Niall from the pain that has in recent minutes gotten overwhelming. She can't help the leg twitch that has her foot connecting with Louis' head which in turn causes him to scream loud enough to wake Sophia.

Niall and Liam watch the scene with matching grins. As they're all fighting over who sounds more like a girl when they're scared awake, Louis was outvoted 3-1 on that poll, the nurse comes in with a smile on her face.

"Ms. Horan? Are you ready?"

"Was ready over eight hours ago," she admits honestly.

"Who is coming in with you?" The nurse looks between Sophia, Louis and Liam. It's Liam who raises his hand.

"If no one objects, I think I'll be there with her?" 

"Oh Leemo," Niall sighs. "Of course I don't object." She reaches out to pull him close, hugging him tightly. Zayn is most obviously her first choice to be there when she gives birth, but if it can't be Zayn, she needs it to be Liam. The reason they're there. The man who has literally given them a piece of himself to make this dream come true for them. Their baby's father.

Liam looks at Sophia who is crying openly and she shakes her head. "I'm so proud of you," she whispers through her tears.

Louis is smiling and nodding his head. "Should be you dad. If you need any pointers, call out but you should be there with her." He approaches the bed and hugs Niall tight. "Congratulations, Nialler. You'll be great, you've got this Mum."

Although Niall claims that she can walk to the delivery room, that she'd really like to stretch her legs, they insist she needs a wheel chair. Once she's moved locations and is set up comfortably in the uncomfortable chair with stirrups she realizes that this is actually happening. She's actually having this baby and Zayn isn't here with them.

"I feel guilty," Niall admits to Liam when they're alone for a few moments. She sees him nod in agreement.

"Should be her in here with you," he says. He pulls out his phone and opens his camera app. Once he has the video recording he starts to talk.

"Here we have Niall Horan, in middle stages of labour. We're in the delivery room about to give birth to Bean. Mum is doing well, so brave and strong. Whoever you are little baby Horan-Malik, you have a wonderful mum that loves you and is already taking such good care of you."

"I look like a mess Liam Payne," Niall scolds playfully as she tries to adjust her hair.

"I know Zayn would disagree," Liam says with a smile. "She would think exactly what I think, you are beautiful. Speaking of Zayn, wave to her." He waits for Niall to wave at the camera before continuing.

"Bean, your other mum would have loved to be here. Should be here but some American Wankers thought they would try and dick her about..."

"Watch your language Liam Payne," Niall scolds. "My kid is gonna be watching this."

"I'm sorry, some right American Bastards thought that they could cock up her plans and because they're giant arses, she's still in America hammering out a deal for Uncle Harry and the Art Gallery. So she would love to be here, is probably beating herself up about it right now. But she can't be here. That doesn't mean she doesn't love you though. She loves you more than you know." 

The next hour passes in a blur for Niall. She's distracted by Liam's constant chatter, talking to her, to the baby and to Zayn. She knows that when he's talking to Zayn, he's turned the phone back on to video camera to document it for her to watch when she gets back. Finally it's time for her to start pushing. She looks up at Liam who is talking softly into his phone.

"Li?" She asks. He hands her the phone, wincing at the scathing look the nurse gives him. There are no phones allowed in the room, but he was not going to let Zayn get on a plane without at least an update. 

Niall grabs the phone in an instant. "Zee?"

"Hey babe," Zayn sounds exhausted.

"How did it go?"

"I'll tell you about it when I get back, how are you?"

"Tell me now." Niall insists. She hears Zayn take a deep breath and prepares herself for bad news. If this was all for nothing she will personally fly to Los Angeles and give them a piece of her mind.

"We got it. For more than they wanted to give us. It was a struggle but when I told them we're doing fine without their help and will continue to do so without them, they realized I wasn't bluffing." 

Niall is shocked when he hears static on the other end. Seconds later Harry's voice is in her ear.

"Ni? You should have seen her, she was amazing. We got 40% more than the original offer. They tried to lowball her and then when they settled on what the original offer was, she said that was the offer on Wednesday when she got there. Now, for missing the birth of her first child and wasting all of our time her expected payment had gone up. She gave them a number and they didn't flinch. Signed and met all of our stipulations."

Niall is cheering loudly when the doctor enters the room. "Niall Horan, you know better than to have a phone in here. Put it away and focus."

"Bye H. Love you both, see you when you land."

It's another forty minutes of pushing and stopping and going until finally the head is crowning. Liam is taping what he can while coaching Niall through her breathing. Finally the sound of wailing echoes through the delivery room and at 2:57am, Micah Zain Horan-Malik is born. Once the doctors and nurses have cleaned and examined him, he is wrapped comfortably in a hospital issued diaper, stocking cap and blanket. Liam has nearly four dozen pictures and at least six minutes of video of him wailing when the nurse picks him up and places him in his mum's waiting arms.

Liam has not stopped taping, watching Niall’s face glow with her gorgeous son in her arms. She looks up at the video and grins in exhaustion. "We did it Zee. We did it. Micah Zain is here. Come and meet your son babe." At the sound of Niall's voice, Micah begins to squirm in her arms. Eventually he makes it to a full wail.

"She's on her way baby boy," Niall promises. "She is going to love you so much, like your Da and I do. This is Leemo, your Da." She pulls Liam close so that he's sitting on the bed with her. He's changed the view so that he can tape them while sitting with Niall. Niall continues telling Micah about her Mum and Da. How he's the luckiest boy in the world because he has so many people who love him and will do anything for him. Finally, the nurse comes back in and lets Liam know that they have a few more things that they need to do with Niall before she can go back to her room. Micah is placed gently into his bassinette and is never further away than an arm's reach from Niall at all times. Liam's phone is back in his pocket after he's send Zayn the video he's shot and the pictures from that night.

He'll let Niall and Zayn tell their parents, knowing that they will once Zayn has arrived and seen Niall and Micah on her own. Right now, they have two very tired people who are waiting for news. Liam enters Niall's room to find Sophia and Louis curled up together in the centre of Niall's bed, both snoring softly. He stops to take a few pictures of them, unable to pass up the opportunity before waking them.

"Hey, babe? Soph?" Liam leans down to kiss her forehead affectionately. "Sophia? Lou?"

Louis startles awake, looking around the room wildly. When his mind catches up to where he is, he jumps off the bed and faces Liam. So?"

Sophia is not far behind. She's awake but still curled up under the covers, stretching languidly.

"Boy. Eight pounds four ounces. Born at 2:57am. Mum and baby doing fine."

"Zee?" Sophia asks sleepily.

"Called her just as she and Haz were about to board the plane. Sent her video and pictures." The nurse said they had time before Niall would be back so he took that opportunity to show them the video he made. They all had tears in their eyes by the end of it.

"You and Nialler make a good looking kid," Louis admits honestly. Even though it's still four in the morning, Louis knows they still have a long day ahead of them. Hopefully Niall and baby will be able to get a little bit of sleep before Zayn returns, but he's not naive enough to think that Liam won't stay until Zayn gets there. And because Liam won't leave, Sophia will probably want to stay. Louis would go home except for the fact that when they land, Harry will probably accompany Zayn to the hospital to see his best friends' son and Louis doesn't want to be home alone if Harry is going to be here. He goes off in search of something to eat and tea for everyone, wanting to give Sophia and Liam a little time alone before Niall returns.

Liam finds himself immediately wrapped in Sophia's arms the moment that Louis goes off in search of tea and snacks. She's kissing him everywhere she can reach and keeps repeating how proud she is, how happy that she is for Zayn and Niall. They're whispering softly in between kisses when Sophia takes a deep breath. She pulls something out of her purse and turns to face her boyfriend.

"Liam Payne. You are the most kind, generous man I have ever met." She smiles at how he blushes at her words. 'You are going to be an amazing father to that boy, and a great support to Niall and Zayn. I want that with you. I want to have your children. Want to be with you. I want us to grow old together and have everything." She pulls the box from her pocket and opens it towards Liam. She sees the surprise on his face and is proud at how she's managed to keep this from him. "I want to marry you." She hands him the ring which he takes with trembling hands. "Would you marry me?"

"I can't believe you're asking me to marry you," Liam says softly. "On the night my first son is born. Born with a woman that is not you. And you still love me"

"Of course I love you Liam," Sophia says strongly. "Because you are kind and selfless and generous. "I told you from the start, that baby is not about me or us. That's about Niall and Zayn. So will the next ones. But what is important is whether you want to have babies with me?"

Liam can only nod. "Yes. To everything. Yes let's get married. Yes let's have babies. I love you." He sees her sigh in relief and pauses for a moment. "Did you think I'd say no?"

Sophia blushes as she gives a quick shrug. "Don't know," she says honestly. "I mean, I know you love me but ..."

Liam pulls her in to kiss her attentively. "I love you. I want to spend my life with you. I never expected you to want to stay after I agreed to help Niall and Zee, and when you did I knew that this was it for me. You're it for me." Liam wipes away the few tears that have collected at the corner of his eyes. "God, the night that a child I helped create is born, the woman of my dreams asks me to marry her. How is this my life?"

Niall is wheeled into her room a short while later. Louis is close behind with a few bags and cups of steaming tea. Once they've all had a cuppa and early breakfast, Louis and Niall fall asleep curled up on her hospital bed while Liam and Sophia have taken the sleep lounger close by. It's the shrill ring of Liam's phone that wakes everyone from their nap.

"Lo?" Liam says into the phone, voice thick with sleep. He sits up and looks to see what time it is. It's just after lunch. Niall's tray has been placed on a counter for her to eat when she wakes, a nurse having written the feeding schedule on her white board. He hands off the phone to Niall who is sitting up to stretch. 

"You're here?" Niall's in tears almost instantly. "Oh, in the cab. Okay. Come right up when you get here. Nine sixteen. We're all here. Hurry babe."

A nurse enters the room almost immediately after. "Oh good, you're up. Time to feed the little munchkin. Maybe your guests can get some exercise for a few moments and give you some privacy."

The nurse helps Niall with breastfeeding, showing her what to do if he has trouble latching on or is fussy. Niall pays close attention so that when Zayn arrives, she can go over it all with her. She can't keep her eyes off of her son who is resting comfortably against her chest, sucking hungrily on her breast. 

Micah has been finished feeding for a bit when Niall realizes she's been abandoned. Everyone should be back by now and while she would like to get up to go and find out where they are, she's too comfortable with Micah to even think about getting up. They're both dozing off when she hears footsteps outside of her door. They slow down and come to an abrupt stop, causing Niall to wake up and look at the door expectantly. The sight of Zayn poking her head in the door has Niall breathless. She's trembling so much that she feels Micah startle to fuss.

"Zee?" Niall breaks the silence. At the sound of her voice, Zayn rushes into the room and launches herself on the bed, mindful of how tender Niall probably is and the fact that their son is curled up comfortably in his Mama's arms.

"Niall oh my god, I love you. I'm so sorry."

"Please stop apologizing," Niall whispers through her tears. She holds Zayn's face with one hand and forces her to look into her eyes. "Look at me, don't apologize, okay?"

Zayn nods. She licks her lips and focuses her attention down at their son who at that moment opens his mouth wide in a hefty yawn. 

"I think I watched Leeyum's video the entire ride from the airport," Zayn admits. "So beautiful, you were so gorgeous. So strong and brave." She gently strokes her fingers up and down Micah's cheek before reaching down to kiss his forehead. "I love you so much little man. So glad you're here."

Niall nods to Zayn. "You should hold him," she insists. "We talked about you all night; he's been so excited to meet you."

Very carefully, Zayn lifts Micah from Niall's arms and holds him close. He starts to squirm, crying loudly at first until Zayn starts to coo at him, promising him that he'll be okay. As soon as he hears her voice, his eyes open and he looks up at her, cries soothed instantly.

"Hi Micah Zain," Zayn whispers. "How is Mummy's little boy? Are you a good boy? So many people are happy to meet you." She gets off of the bed and walks towards the door. It's then that Niall notices a shadow on the other side, nearly taking up the entire glazed window panel. "Would you like to meet your Uncle Hazza?" She looks up at Niall who nods enthusiastically. Zayn opens the door to Harry pressed against it, just waiting to be granted access. 

They both watch his eyes light up at the sight of Zayn standing in front of him with their son in her arms. Niall notices how exhausted Zayn looks, figures that she didn't sleep at all on the plane and was seconds away from passing out before she got into the room. Now, she looks tired but is glowing. She's never looked more beautiful to Niall.

"Uncle Hazza, please meet Micah Zain," Zayn introduces her son to Harry who, despite being as tired as Zayn is beaming with pride. 

"Niall," Harry says to the blonde as he picks Micah up from Zayn's arms. "You and Payno make one good looking kid, you know that?"

Louis' laughter echoes from behind Harry's back in the room. They all turn to see him return with Sophia and Liam, all brandishing bags and bags of toys and presents. "I said the same thing Haz," he says kissing his boyfriend enthusiastically. At all of the commotion, Micah starts to cry causing for everyone to stop and coo at him.

"Dirty diaper," Harry calls out as he places his hand under Micah's bottom. All at once he, Liam and Louis shout "NOT IT!"

It's Zayn who rolls her eyes and slaps each of them in turn before taking her son from Harry's arms. "Such little bitches," she chides under her breath. They all watch Zayn take the opportunity to change Micah’s diaper and check out everything his nappy and onesie has been covering. Niall watches Zayn count each of his toes, placing a kiss to the tip before doing the same with his fingers, belly, cheeks and finally his nose. Once she's finished she redresses him, this time in a onesie she'd picked up for him in Los Angeles. She'd bought it before she knew Niall was going to go into labour while she was gone, also with the thought that whether it is a girl or boy, their child was going to wear it.

An echo of laughter erupted as she holds him up proudly. Liam's camera is out and he is enthusiastically taking pictures.

"Of course you got him a Batman onesie," Niall snorts. Her eyes widen as Zayn blushes and nods to the bag she'd gotten the onesie out of. Niall raises an eyebrow as Liam reaches in.

There is a matching Superman onesie. And Spiderman. Green Lantern and Captain America. As he goes through the bag, there have to be about forty different sizes and styles that Zayn bought while away. Niall's covering her face while Liam is in awe at each item that is extracted. Zayn sees the look on Liam's face. Sophia gives her a subtle wink and Zayn instructs Liam to look further for a piece of paper.

As he unfolds it, his eyes widen. "Are you serious?" He asks softly. He reads the sheet of paper again before handing it to Sophia who starts to laugh hysterically, cackling as softly as she can. 

“Oh my god,” she howls. She takes the bag from Liam and sorts through them, ignoring the pointed looks that Liam was sending her way. Finally she stops and looks over at him. “What?”

“How did she know?”

Niall’s eyes widen as she and Harry who are curled up on her bed together look from Sophia to Liam to Zayn and back again. 

“Know what?” Sophia asks with too much innocence on her face.

“To buy us these?

Zayn and Sophia exchange an expression. Louis joins Harry and Niall on the bed, successfully kidnapping Micah to return him to his mum. Niall presses her lips to his forehead before wrapping her arms around him in a comfortable embrace.

“This is going to be good,” she giggles against her son’s cheek.

“What’s going on?” Louis asks softly so that only Harry and Niall can hear him. 

“Well,” Niall starts. “Sophia must have proposed.” Harry and Louis’ jaws drop at her news. Niall nods her head knowingly and grins. “I know right! She told Zee and I about it ages ago. Wasn’t sure when the right time was but wanted to wait until the baby was born. Was going to ask him proper to marry her and maybe have a big family. If Zee gave them that today, it means she must have done it.”

“How did Zee know?” Liam gasps and looks at Zee. “You DO know!”

“Of course I know Leeyum,” Zayn sighs. She approaches him and grips his biceps in her hands. “Congratulations.” He’s surprised when she leans up to kiss his mouth gently. Zayn follows suit with Sophia, punctuating her congratulations with a kiss as well. “I’m so happy for you both. The onesies will be delivered in about four weeks. I figured that you wouldn’t be in too much of a rush for them so I had them order them special to deliver here.

Louis and Harry are up and off the bed almost instantly, hugging and kissing the newly engaged couple.

“I’m sorry Niall,” Sophia apologizes with a hug. “I didn’t want to usurp your big night, but I couldn’t wait any longer. We were here and he was so happy and well ….I just knew it was time.”

With a snort, Niall shakes her head. “Oh no. Why wouldn’t Liam get engaged on the day that another woman gives birth to his son.”

“We are pretty unconventional, aren’t we babe.” Liam laughs as he tugs Sophia over so that Niall can give them both congratulations without having to get up. Their celebration is interrupted with the sound of Micah howling and a knock on the door. Niall’s doctor pokes his head in with a smile on his face.

“How are mum and son doing?” 

“Great Doc,” Zayn responds with a wave. She grins when she sees the doctor’s eyes widen at her presence.

“You made it! So great to see you Zayn. Sorry you couldn’t make it last night but I’m sure that Mr. Payne got everything on video for you.”

“He did,” Zayn said as she approached the doctor, pulling him in for a hug. “Thank you for everything. I can’t tell you enough how much I want to thank you for taking care of Niall and Micah this morning.”

“You’re both welcome Zayn. I’m pleased that you’ve made it and that both mums, baby and Dad are doing well. I do however, feel it necessary to insist that Niall get some rest. You’ve had a very long night and what will ultimately be a very long lifetime ahead of you. Especially the next few years, and Micah is going to need you rested and well. So I can see it’s almost time for his next feeding, so Niall and Zayn. Might I suggest that we bid our guests a good afternoon and you will be able to see them once you’ve been discharged tomorrow.

Everyone gives Niall and Zayn one last hug and kiss before letting them know they’d talk to them tomorrow. Finally, it’s just Niall, Zayn and Liam in Niall’s hospital room. Before he can speak, Zayn has thrown herself into Liam’s arms, wrapping her own arms around his neck. 

“I can’t thank you enough Leeyum,” she whispers wetly against his chest. He can feel her trembling in his arms and strokes his hand up and down her back in soothing movements. 

It’s been a very stressful few days for all of them, and Liam is certain that Zayn hadn’t gotten any sleep on the flight. He pulls her face from his chest and cups her cheeks with his hands. 

“Babe, it’s okay. I’m so glad to have been there. I mean, it would have been best if you were there, but it was amazing to be there for Micah being born. I know he’s yours and Niall’s …”

“No Leemo,” Niall says with a yawn. Her eyes are focused down on Micah’s face as he is feeding hungrily, but she’s smiling. “He’s your son too.”

“There is no one else I trust to have been there with her,” Zayn admits honestly. “ No offence to Haz or Tommo, but … I just…” Zayn swallows thickly as she rubs her eyes. “I’m glad you were here with her. “I love you Liam.”

Liam presses his lips to Zayn’s forehead in a soft kiss. He approaches the bed and does the same with Niall and finally Micah. “I’ll see you all soon? Call us if you need something, we’ll be over in an instant.”

“Thanks Leemo,” Niall yawns. “Love you.”

Zayn crawls into the bed next to Niall once Micah has been burped and laid back into his bassinette for a nap. They’re both close to sleep, eyes fighting to remain open. Once they’ve had some sleep and she’s come down from the high of their son being born and a contract that will bring her Gallery to worldwide business she will sit down and properly count her blessings. She’ll pull Niall and Micah close and spend the rest of her life thanking every god there is for them.

“So proud of you Niall,” Zayn mumbles against the blonde’s temple. “Love you so much. So glad to be home.” The response she gets is a soft snore and Niall tightening her arms around her. Zayn succumbs to her exhaustion with a smile on her face and a heart full of love.


End file.
